Fayette watched the hubbub in the medical hall from a good distance away, wondering what was going on. Lots of people were rushing in and out, and a lot of noise was coming from inside, but she couldn’t really properly see without heading in. Is what Olivia did really that strange?
At least she had her [Eavesdrop], which had let her keep somewhat on track of what was happening. And kept her distracted.
She wasn’t really in the mood to think too deeply on matters, slightly unsettled as she was by her talk with Marie. So, for the last few hours, Fayette had mainly just dallied about, watching [Builders] rush to fortify the wall separating the docks from the rest of the island and the [Mages] who were huddled in conference.
Her other friends were up to their own things, and Fayette really wasn’t in the mood to talk. She wasn’t in the mood to listen that much either, but what else was there to do? The hunter’s bit of the job was over—for today at least.
Fayette sighed and began heading back to the harbor side, to watch the waves roll about as the sun crept down. Maybe I should handle my skill distribution now…
Her mind was mostly clear, so it felt like the best use of her time. Having used a lot of her skill points for [Maidsense], she had only her two new ones to use for the moment. And thinking of how the fights had gone, Fayette realized what she was lacking.
Range. What I need here is range.
Her feet brought her to the landing zone, where more gondolas were ferrying about, and Fayette stopped to watch the opposite shore. There was a sparse crowd of [Guards] and civilian spectators there, watching with equal curiosity and wariness. The distance was not that far away for legs, but still as good as an uncrossable abyss for the plague—none of the zombies had seemed inclined to swim at least yet.
She was similar in a way. It was annoying to wear her plague mask, but getting infected would be even more annoying—even if Olivia was able to cure it.
These disease-things are nasty to fight up close, especially as we’re supposed to avoid all contact with bare skin. But I don’t have any good options for long range at all…
She could use [Sweep Dust], but not all enemies cared about that, and it was more distraction than damage. Most of her other options were melee, from her broom handling to more specialized skills like [Dry Laundry]. Perhaps if her magic training were further along, that may have helped, but things being as they were, she only really had one choice.
Fayette reached into her apron and took out a fork. It was fine quality, a gleaming and sturdy bit of metal, and as she squinted at it… Wait a minute, I don’t think this is from my original manor at all—we didn’t have ones as nice as this. When did I pick this up?
Holding it up, the sun glimmered along the surface, making the fork sparkle like a magic artifact. Fayette narrowed her eyes. Maybe at Arreau? Did I pick this up while at that office building we burned? It is pretty shiny, so I may have done it subconsciously…
Shrugging, she held it firmer in her hand, then bent it back for a throw as if she were pitching a dart. She aimed at the ocean. Then looked at the shiny fork in her hand. Fayette paused. Wait a minute, this is way too nice to waste on this.
She quickly swapped the nice fork for a rusty spoon, then readied her throw again. Her arm swung, and the spoon was flung over the ocean. [Cutlery Control] began to assist, then quickly faded as the spoon went out of its four-meter range.
Fayette focused on the fork, trying to get a measure of its speed and strength. It splashed against the ocean a pretty good distance away. And Fayette… realized she didn’t really know how far away that had been.
Umm… was that a street’s length or something? At least it was a pretty decent throw, went right where I was aiming. But how much stopping power does that really have? It didn’t go that far…
From her experience, her knives and forks tended to do decent damage if they hit vital spots like eyes, but otherwise, their performance was a bit lacking. The skill was more about precision than power. But did it have to stay that way?
Marie said that you can influence a skill’s evolution if you train it somehow… Maybe I should try to throw forks around as hard as I can? It might become a power-type skill then. I was only a [Maid] when I got it, not a [Combat Maid], so I suppose making it more combat-oriented wouldn’t be that difficult.
Already it had saved her in quite a few spots, all with only one skill point invested. She had never felt like more had been necessary, and there had always been lots of other skills to pursue, but right now it was her only real ranged option. Turning away from the ocean, Fayette nodded and made her decision.
[Skill up: Cutlery Control has reached rank 2!]
Just one skill point for now, she wanted to keep her other one in reserve in case she unlocked anything new. Closing her eyes, Fayette focused on the newly upgraded skill, feeling for any changes in it. Hmm… mostly seems like the range got bigger, by about half maybe? Did the power increase?
Taking another of her bad forks from her apron, she spun around and flung it at the ocean. Then she opened her eyes.
And saw that her fork was headed right for a boat that was approaching. And her [Maidsense] screamed that there were some very important people on that boat. Wait, no!
Lightning fast, Fayette took out her broom and began sweeping the grounds nonchalantly, activating her [Unseen Attendant]. She followed the fork’s flight with a side-eye. It reached the boat, then was deflected off harmlessly against a very dangerous-looking man’s shield.
Fayette tensed a bit, but kept sweeping, trying to seem as innocent as possible. She felt the shielder man’s eyes near her—and then they passed by, going to the side. She breathed a sigh of relief. Looks like I’m clear.
Then she took another look at the approaching boat, finally taking note of its extravagance. It was a boat of milk-white wood twice as large as the others, decorated with golden icons of clouds and thunderbolts. The [Mages] were gathering to receive the boat by the dock.
And Fayette watched, wondering why the [Archbishop] had arrived here of all places.
—
She found out very soon, as the hunters were all called together for a meeting by the main square, which had already been cleansed of any marks of decay. A wooden podium had even been erected, and the newly-arrived [Archbishop] loomed there, his face grave.
Fayette stood in the crowd of hunters, with the rest of her party around her. Except for Olivia—the [Doctor] was still working with the patients. Mireille had apparently been fetching the monster cores from the monsters they had slain, having confirmed from Olivia that they were safe to handle.
Fayette sensed their radiating power from the [Seamstress’s] pockets, and the little spider Char seemed to sense them too, seeing as she was careful to stay on Mireille’s right shoulder, as far from the offending pocket as possible. I wonder what she’s going to do with those? Even wanted my portion…
Then Fayette heard a clap of noise, and looking up at the podium, saw Cadeau, the [Mage] in charge here, standing in front of the [Archbishop]. He had just slammed his fists into the table, and all talk in the square had quieted, gazes going to him.
“Everyone, it is my delight to announce that [Archbishop] Villfore has arrived to bless our venture, as well as enlighten us on some matters of great import!” He paused to breathe in, then stepped to the side, gesturing the richly dressed priest forward. “Please, Father, take the stage.”
It was Fayette’s first time seeing the [Archbishop] from this close, and only now did it hit her how old he was. Deep lines crisscrossed his face, and the thin hair beneath his blue zucchetto cap was snow white. To her [Maidsense] he felt solemn and fragile, like someone not to be disturbed when in motion.
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And that motion was very slow indeed, as the old man took a generous half-minute to even climb up the podium.
“What do you think he’s going to say?” Fayette whispered, tiptoeing closer to Marie, who had been standing just a bit in front.
“I think I have some idea…” Marie answered, keeping her eyes fixed on the man as if measuring him out as a foe. “Do you remember that meeting he went to, with the other two?”
“With the [Lord] of industry, and the [Grand Magus]?” Fayette asked.
Marie nodded. “Those three. If people like that meet, something important gets discussed. Something our sort is not always privy to. I think we’re about to hear one result of that discussion.”
Fayette hummed in thought, mind less on the actual speech to come and more on the fact that Marie didn’t seem to be in a melancholy mood anymore. Her proud face was settled into [Lady] mode now, and Fayette thought it suited her noble face a lot better than sombreness. Though the sombreness did have its own appeal now that I think…
“Citizens! Men and women of the faith!” A loud voice suddenly boomed, and Fayette found her attention forcibly dragged up to the podium. Some force kept her there, watching. The priest stood above the crowd like a father of all, looking down at his pupils with wisdom.
“You have done well in making the first strike against this epidemic here. Tragedy has struck, but as always, the brave men and women of the monarchy have been ready to struggle against it.” He said, smiling with pride. Even Fayette felt herself growing somewhat pleased at the thought.
But then, the [Achbishop’s] eyes turned stormy with the suddenness of a thunderclap. “However,” his voice rumbled. “It is not all pleasant news for today.”
Fayette tensed. Is something nastier on the way?
The man waited for just the right amount of time, letting the anticipation build. “In our investigations today, our specialists have found out the source of this illness.”
The source? Fayette hadn’t really put any thought into that particular subject until now, and suddenly she found herself very interested. Are we going to clean it?
“As some of you may know, this isn’t the only epidemic being fought back right now. Treacherous saboteurs from the Nordic Union unleashed a plague of much graver proportion in our Vangal colony, and… is it a coincidence that another one starts here, right now when the [Royal Doctor] is unavailable to help?”
Fayette’s breath caught. A gasp of outrage went through the crowd. The old man nodded, eyes grave.
“Yes, our men found the evidence today. This was all another attack on us by the scum up north.” He said, almost hissing the last words. “But fret not, for [Grand Magus] Mondoug will resolve everything in a few days, once he finishes his preparations. Until then…” his gaze dragged over the gathered crowd until he finally nodded with approval. “We will count on your continued assistance. [Blessing of the Faithful] upon you all.”
With those words, he left the podium and the crowd erupted in an uproar, feeling a balm of prayer wiping away their tiredness. “Can you believe that? People did all this!” Fayette asked Marie, feeling the fresh outrage coursing through her veins.
But when she turned to the blonde [Lady], it was not a face of anger Marie bore. No, her face hadn’t changed at all from what it had been before the speech. Measuring, weighing. Her eyes were not even on the podium, but rather on some of the [Scribes] standing off to the side, recording every word said in a hurry.
Fayette instantly felt herself calm down. “Er, Marie? Aren’t we supposed to be angry here?”
The [Lady’s] eyes took a quick look at Fayette’s confusion and seemed to brighten from their gloom. “No, you’re right about that,” Marie said, turning to walk away. “I think we are supposed to be very angry indeed.”
“But you aren’t?”
Marie was silent for a moment, and Fayette hurried to follow her. The [Lady] didn’t betray her opinion from her bearing, and Fayette hurriedly calmed her own face too. She’s walking towards… Oh! The hospital?
Marie noticed Fayette’s eyes and nodded. “We’re not really the experts on this, are we? First… let’s go ask Olivia for her opinion.”
“That does seem sensible… Mireille, stop fiddling with those cores before we leave you here! Are you poking them with needles?”
—
“Sounds like bullshit to me,” Olivia said.
Fayette stared. Marie and Mireille did too. They shared a quick glance, an instant communication passing between them all. So blunt. Then they all turned back to the [Doctor], who was washing her hands in a basin after a busy day of work. The backroom they were crammed in was dark and the air smelled moldy, but that all paled in comparison to the mood Olivia was giving off.
“Umm, just to elaborate—” Marie started, unnerved by Olivia seeming satisfied with that for an explanation. “—what makes you so sure about that?”
The [Doctor] finished getting her hands clean, emptied the now murky-water-filled basin out the window, then started toweling her hands dry. She was scowling. And muttering. “—of course, they would do something like that, just as—”
“Sorry, Olivia?” Marie repeated, louder this time.
Olivia turned and flinched as if she had forgotten her friends were waiting for her in the room and rubbed her eyes. The dark pouches under them seemed deeper. “Sorry—it’s been a long day.” She sighed, threw the towel down onto the floor, then collapsed into the chair waiting behind her. “It’s not that complicated of a thing, really. Remember what I was trying to say to you at first, Fayette? Before we got interrupted with the innkeeper-murderer thing.”
Fayette snapped her fingers. “Ah, that’s right! You had suspicions something was up here before the news of the quarantine came, right?” She squinted suspiciously at the gloomy [Doctor]. “How did you know that?”
Olivia didn’t quite smile, but she gave off some sense of satisfaction at that, and nodded. “Indeed, I had suspicions. I read a lot of newspapers, trying to keep abreast of what’s happening where and why, and I saw a mention of something happening here that concerned me.”
“Some precursor disease going around, or what? I don’t think that type of news is covered too often,” Marie asked, curious.
Olivia shook her head. “Not the infections or sickness itself, but the effect it has. There was news of the factories here shutting down because there was a sickness going out among the workers. I wasn’t sure of course… but prior incidents have started in similar conditions.”
“What makes you so sure it’s not intentional sabotage then?” Mireille asked.
“It’s not sure of course, just a hunch. But I told you how these things start, didn’t I? Factories are places especially prone to mana mishaps. And if some saboteur were behind it, would they really target this of all places?” Olivia said, then pointed out the window.
Fayette followed her gesture and saw the lapping waters surrounding the island. Right—island. “Not the best place to spread it far, is it?” Fayette asked.
Olivia nodded. “Of course, even on the more flat ground, these illnesses don’t spread that quickly. They tend to be rather local due to the difficulties of mana spread. But this place? Would hardly be my first choice.”
It made some sense to Fayette. Sure, the island had shipyards that were important, but from the look of things, those would be recovered relatively unscathed. I could probably manage much better sabotage if it were up to me. First, start the plague, then set the place on fire in the ensuing panic and then—wait, why am I thinking through this?
Fayette frowned, then turned to the others. “So they’re making an excuse with this whole saboteur story?”
Marie shrugged. “Maybe. It’s good politics for sure. Official explanations always have to be given, and it’s much better if the blame can be put somewhere useful.”
Not sure I like that idea, Fayette though. She liked to know the truths behind such matters, and deception didn’t feel right. Because if the disease did have a true origin, should it not be uncovered and dealt with? Do the government people even know or care about it themselves? Do they need to in order to put an end to things?
The [Archbishop] had seemed confident about things coming to an end in only a few days, and as she thought about it, an idea began to form. Fayette looked at the room’s other window, the one not facing the ocean, but rather the wall which separated the shipyard peninsula from the rest of the island. It almost called to her.
Because, well…. If there was an origin to this whole magical disease thing somewhere out there, and the government people weren’t interested in it… perhaps a [Maid] could clean it up? Fayette licked her lips, thinking of the experience she could get from that. Yes, that should work fine indeed…
She looked up, seeing that the others were discussing the matter quietly.
“—how is the work going for you, Olivia?”
“Some patients recover faster, but most look like it might take them over a week. I think it will get faster as I go through, and—”
Fayette clapped her hands. “Sorry, everyone! I have an idea!”
Three faces turned to her, with a variety of expressions.
“Oh no, she has an idea,” Mireille cursed.
“Is it troublesome?” Olivia asked, curious.
“What is your idea?” Marie asked with a smile.
Fayette gave Mireille a quick glare, then relaxed and began. “Well, I don’t really like this whole they’re-not-telling-us-the-full-picture situation we’ve got here. I want to know what’s really going on. Anybody with me?”
“Sounds a bit risky, as we might step on some toes,” Mireille said, frowning.
“That is true, knowledge can be dangerous but… the truth matters too, I think,” Marie said. The [Lady] turned to the side, toward Olivia. “But I will defer to Olivia, I think. She has the most insight on this, and perhaps the right to the truth too.”
Olivia sighed, but then pushed herself up from the chair as if getting ready for action. Her eyes were sharp. “I guess… I do want to know. Assigning blame is a key part of a truly comprehensive diagnosis, one might say.”
Fayette nodded, nodded, and nodded some more, as she grew a tad excited at the prospect. She finally turned back to Mireille, making a poor attempt at pleading eyes. “How about it, Mir? Don’t you want to know too?”
The [Seamstress] looked conflicted for a bit, face locked in a tense grimace, but eventually, she relaxed and sighed. “…fine, we’ll do it your way. Might be worth it in it end. But!” she stood up straighter. “I don’t want to be the one who has to sell this to the people in charge. Somebody else do the convincing.”
“Reasonable,” Fayette said, happy she got her way. But the day was already drawing near night, and dealing with matters like these in the dark of night didn’t appeal to her that much. “Tomorrow morning then? Let’s go talk with that Cadeau fellow and see if we can go poke around in town.”